Saturday, February 2, 2013

Let's talk nail shields

Jamberry sent me a lovely package of shields to review. Nine designs in total. Sparkly red! Glittering purple! Silver! Stripes! AHHHH, so many pretties. Except, except that when it tried to put them on.... They were thick, cumbersome, and didn't stay for more than ten minutes.

I contacted Jamberry asking for tips and they let me know that they had just reformulated and would send me new ones.

The new ones arrived and they are just as gorgeous and SO much thinner. Actually possible to apply. Not only possible, actually, but possible for ME to apply. Plus they come with instructions now, so that helps.
Something I figured out by the time I had moved on to my right hand is that it's much easier to finish off the edge of the nail if you pinch together the excess and file it off with a gritty nail file. Here's a picture:

I also managed to miss a bit of my middle finger, so I had to patch it up. After topcoat and in real life, I swear you can't even tell. In these pics, though, it's pretty obvious.

I know I got the "Dot" design, but I can't find a "Green Dots" on the Jamberry website. I did, though, find a TON of shields I want next. This one, for example, is calling my name. Any nail enthusiast should be able to find at least one design they want on their nails.

I'm doing a wear test with these now and will take pictures when I'm done.

Pros:
*Even someone as bad with shields as I am can handle making these look good.
*Intricate designs in not too much time
*The design is set the moment you get it on your nail, so no wait time!
*Supposedly long lasting. I'm testing this claim as we speak
*Cheaper than a salon visit
*Huge variety in designs available.
*Huge variety in sizes in every pack
* Definitely can get two manicures out of a pack

Cons:
*There's a bit of texture from the small wrinkles, if that sort of thing bugs you
*The shields are a bit pricey ($15 a set) and that doesn't include some stuff you'll need for application, like a file, cuticle pusher, and buffer
*In the words of one of my guy friends "Wow, those things seem like a pain in the ass. They look pretty cool, though"

Totes mah goats got these for review. That didn't change my opinion of them